Kidnapped Again
by Dani Pink Cloud
Summary: Max and her flock are getting kidnapped - again - but by whom? And why? Could it be. . .him? Omega?
1. Fake

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. James Patterson has full rights to Maximum Ride. (But of course, I have rights to this story...) **

As I drove down the road, thousands of thoughts raced through my brain. (Thankfully, none were my Voice.) Well, technically, I wasn't driving, I was riding. Chained to the seat. With diamond chains. And the seats were leather, so my legs were sticking. But that's beside the point.

My captors were driving down a horribly, annoyingly straight road lined with ginormous pine trees. It was a beautiful day outside – perfect for flying. But there were those diamond chains again.

Anyway, there was a distant curve down this straight road. I itched to see what was beyond it – I just _knew _there would be _something. _I strained at my chains discreetly, not wanting to draw attention.

"Ow!" I drew in a quick breath, then glanced at the machines that had taken us captive. No reaction. Good. "Why do these have to be freaking diamond?" The chains were still sharp, because they hadn't been cut all that well, and had cut my wrists.

Apparently Gazzy had had the same experience. "Why can't it be good ol' iron and duct tape? Like normal? I mean, it's not like we could -"

I gave him a specialty Look. I didn't want our captors to know that we weren't even strong enough to break through iron, let alone diamond.

I went back and reflected on Gazzy's words. Like normal? Okay, you know something's wrong when the eight-year-old starts calling iron and duct tape bonds when you're getting kidnapped _normal._

Hey, at least we could still talk. I don't know how Nudge would have survived this drive if she couldn't talk. Now she was trying - again - to talk to our captors. "So, what's your favorite kind of music? Maybe we could play it while we're driving. Then it wouldn't be so boring. Are you guys bored? I am. I'd think driving for six hours would get pretty old. Maybe we could stop. Just for a little bit?"

Of course, the Flyboys' only response was, "No. We will take you to Master." Their robotic voices were starting to annoy me, especially since they were repeating this same line over and over again.

And Iggy had been touching everything for the first few hours, muttering their colors to himself. It just never got old for him.

And Angel had been...well, I wasn't even sure what. She was sitting in the back, so I had to crane my neck to see her. I sighed. Apparently she'd been experimenting with her ability to change forms. "Nice try, sweetie, but I don't think that'll work too well," I told her.

And of course Nudge and the Gasman, the wannabe American Idols. Who only knew the constipation song. And had been singing it incessantly, except Nudge, who took breaks to talk to the Flyboys.

So you can see why I was kind of standing on the egde of insanity with my foot on a banana peel.

Fang was sitting next to me, glaring out the window. So Fanglike. He looked my way, and our eyes met. He nodded toward the Flyboys, then said, "Fake."


	2. Chapter 2

"Whaat?" I demanded.

"F - A - K - E. Fake." Fang repeated. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I got that. It didn't take genetically enhanced abilities either. What's fake?" I asked again.

He gestured at the 'bots in front of us. "Those. This road. This car. Haven't you noticed that we haven't moved along this road at all?"

I was a little ashamed. I should have noticed. _Hey, get it together, Max,_ I thought to myself. _Can't let him get to you._

Well, except when he's kissing me. Then that's okay.

Anyways.

"Yeah, so? We haven't moved. What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, trying to be all tough and leaderly. Plus, I still wasn't quite comprehending. So what if we hadn't moved? Why did that make the Flyboys fake? Was he just trying to trick me? Because if he was. . .

He gave Nudge a meaningful glance, and then looked down at his seat. Nudge stared blankly for a minute. Then her faced lightened with understanding, and she glared at the underside of Fang's chair. (Um, yeah, she can control metal and she's really good with computers. Just one of those extra bonuses of being a mutant bird kid.) It slowly moved forward, little by little, until Fang could touch the back of the seat in front of him without straining at his diamond chains. He stuck his index finger out like he was going to poke the seat.

Personally, I didn't think that was a wise idea, 'cause you never know with those Flyboys and evil mad scientists, but, you know, it's Fang.

Anyway, instead of poking the seat, his finger went straight through. The image of the seat and Flyboys and road in front of us sparked and shimmered like a malfunctioning computer.

"Okay, I get it now. Get your finger out of there before someone sees it," I told Fang, trying to salvage some of my pride.

He smirked, but removed the finger.

"Iggy, Gazzy, get with it! We're gonna get out of here, very, very soon," I declared. "Nudge, can you control computers without touching them?"

She grimaced. "I dunno, Max. It might not be good for the computer."

"Good! Do it!" I commanded. Just as well if whoever was kidnapping us had one less computer. Our enemies always seemed so dependent on their technology. Probably if we just brought down all their computers, we'd have them in the bag.

But I kept this saving-the-world, destroying-Itex plan to myself, for now.

While Nudge tried to work the computer, so it would let go of our chains, the rest of us pretended nothing had happened. Gazzy kept up his singing, and Angel's pretty, innocent little face was scrunched up in concentration. She was probably trying to communicate with something, try to figure out where we really were. Iggy and Fang were silent. Guys. So typical.

And while they did all that fun, exciting stuff that comes with being us, I sat there, itching to be free, imagining flying again. After my wings were freed from their own personal diamond chains.


	3. Chapter 3

Nudge concentrated. Hard. Harder than she ever had before, trying to free them. She'd worked on computers before, but she never got much practice, because Fang wouldn't let her near their top-of-the-line laptop. Plus, she'd never had to do something that might decide whether they lived or died or something in between.

So Nudge concentrated.

In her head she could see the inner workings of the computer - every chip, microchip, spark, wire, everything. She bounced from piece to piece, getting images of what that chip or wire or whatever controlled. Flashes of computer images filled her mind, and she understood the chaos. She could understand what the computer was telling her.

Yes! That was it. It must be. The computer was saying, RELEASE.

Now all she had to do was tell the computer something. Communicate, like.

RELEASE, she told the computer. RELEASE.

She saw another flash of images, of sparks and wires and little tiny bits working together to release these chains.

She heard a hissing sound, and the chains on all of their chairs popped open. Nudge heard Max suck in a breath of relief, felt Max looking at her with a proud smile.

Now they could kick some evil-kidnapper butt.


	4. Chapter 4

The computer Nudge had been working on emitted a hissing sound, and then it was echoed by our bonds. They opened, and I could feel the pressure lift from my wings, too. I beamed at Nudge. Even though she was still trying to make sure she hadn't done any damage (she was pretty attached to computers), I knew she'd know that I thought she'd done well.

Whoa, there. I knew, she'd know, I thought? Wow. I hope someone besides me understood that one.

Well, sorry, as you should know by now, I am not very educated. I mean, I ain't too smartened.

Ha.

Anyway, besides our chains opening, the holograph in front of us was gone. Nudge, her face sad, must have broken the computer, so now it wasn't providing the image. Instead, we saw what looked like the inside of a cockpit, complete with comfy chairs. But without windows. Or pilots. But still.

"So. Escape plan?" Gazzy asked. I looked around. Fang was muttering to Iggy what the tiny space we were in was like, and Angel and Nudge were looking at me for guidance.

I heard Angel's voice in my head. _Do you have a plan?_

_Uh, no, not yet, _I told her.

_Okay. But just so you know, that thing that looks like a giant computer - _I turned to my left, looking at a ginormous tower, that thing that usually goes under a desk, that does all the important stuff - _Nudge is thinking it's not actually a computer. It's definitely not the one she was working on. _

Well, no, duh. I said it was like a cockpit; that should imply that there were a bunch of computer thingys in there. So Nudge could have been messing with any of them.

But I walked over to the tower and looked around it. There were no buttons - strange. Shouldn't all towers have buttons? At least a power button?

"There's nothing coming from this thing, Max," Nudge said. "It isn't a computer."

"Okay, well, what is it?" I demanded to the flock at large.

Fang smirked and said, "I'm guessing, it's a door."

I made a face at him. "Well then, Sherlock, let's see you open it," I told him, hands on hips.

"All right." He walked up next to me and moved his hands all over the tower, looking for what, I didn't know.

"Try: Open Sesame," Nudge contributed helpfully.

Suddenly, Angel screeched, "Total! Where's Total?"

Okay, let's get this straight. I had known Total wasn't there; it should have been obvious without his obnoxious chatter to fill the fake, never-ending ride. So I kind of thought everyone else realized this. Judging by the looks on their faces, everyone else had noticed too. So why hadn't our most-super-powered six-year-old, Angel, noticed?

"Uh, honey, Total was never with us," I told her. "Maybe they didn't get him when they came for us. Maybe he hid in the house somewhere." We'd been staying at a "safe house" with my mom and Ella in Colorado when we'd been kidnapped. Mom and Ella - where were they? Oh my gosh, why had none of this occured to me?

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???

Okay. Okay. Deep breaths, now, Max, I thought. It didn't really help, but the panic faded a little. "Okay, guys, did any of you see my mom and Ella before we got kidnapped?" I asked the flock.

"Um, yeah, I saw them, and they were flying, and shooting the Flyboys with their laser vision," Iggy said sarcastically. Oops. Insensitive phrasing there. Or maybe just sensitive Iggy, but whatever.

Everyone else shook their heads no.

_Total, _Angel reminded me.

"Or Total?" I asked. More head shaking.

"Okay, well, maybe whoever sent the Flyboys to get us just wanted us, and let Total and my mom and Ella stay. Yeah, that's probably it," I said, trying to be convincing, especially for Angel's sake. But it's pretty hard to pretend when you have a mind reader in your midst.

Where were they? And, more important right now, where were we?


	5. School

Fang gave me a sympathetic look. I could tell he wanted to do more than that, but with the whole flock around, we couldn't be all lovey-dovey. Oh, bummer.

Anyway.

I didn't know where Total was. I didn't know where my mom was. And I didn't know where that dumb, stupid, occasionally helpful voice of mine was. _Hey, Voice?_ I thought. _Now would definitely be a good time for some helpful hints. _

Nothing.

I sighed. "Okay, Fang, do the honors. Open that door. We need to get outta here." When Angel began to object, I added, "And then we can look for the rest of our family."

Fang gave me a strange look - it was sympathy and smugness combined. Weird. Then - he pushed on the door, and it opened.

I pretended to not be embarrassed by my own stupidity, then marched out the door. It led into a hallway - a gleaming, silver, futuristic hallway. Almost like a hospital - but more advanced.

"The School," Nudge whispered.

"It can't be," Gazzy whispered back. His little voice shook a little - he was scared. So was I. I felt claustrophobic; the tight halls were a freakish reminder of my childhood days - in a dog crate. I couldn't see any whitecoats or instruments, or even any rooms, but I still felt like a rat in a maze. It was a trap, I knew it was. But what kind?

_Voice! Really, I need you!_

_I'm here, Maximum Ride. _

_Oh, my gosh, thank you. Whoever you are. _

_You are quite welcome. And you are not trapped. You know you're not; so does Fang. You just need to realize that, and then figure out how to get out of this so-called "trap." _

_Um, no, Voice. I do not know that. I know that I'm in a place that reminds me of being TRAPPED and experimented on. And I really think this IS the place where I was TRAPPED and experimented on._

_It is not._

_Fine._

The Voice didn't respond. Whatever. It wasn't helpful anyway. "Fang! Come here," I called. He came over to me as I practically shook in place from my claustrophobia. I bet he was scared too; he was just good at hiding it. "Fang, the Voice said that we know we aren't trapped."

He raised his eyebrows. "Sure. What then?"

"We figure out how to get around this fake trap."

"Right." He stood there, his dark eyes glazed over in thought. I stood there, admiring. "I really don't know, Max," he said at last. "I don't know."

"Well, then," I said, trying for bravery, "we shall carry on."

And I led the way again, marching down the hall as if I weren't terrified and insecure and all that good stuff.


End file.
